Who is Tiawana Brown? Charlotte councilwoman indicted on federal charges
Who is Tiawana Brown? Charlotte councilwoman indicted on federal charges
Show Caption
Hide Caption
COVID fraud cases continue to grow
In the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic relief arrived in the form of government programs, but some people took advantage.
Fox - 13 News
A North Carolina grand jury has indicted a Charlotte City Council member on federal charges after prosecutors allege she used COVID relief funds to throw a $15,000 birthday party.
Tiawana Brown, 53, was indicted alongside her daughters Tijema Brown, 30, and Antionette Rouse, 33, on charges of wire fraud conspiracy and wire fraud in connection with fraudulent applications filed to falsely obtain COVID pandemic relief funds, Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina announced in a May 22 news release.
In a statement shared by Kristie Puckett, a lobbyist for NC Second Chance Alliance, on behalf of Brown characterized the indictment as a 'deliberate effort to interfere with her re-election and silence her voice."
'I am not here to be tried in the media,' Brown is quoted as saying in the statement. 'However, I must address the allegations against me by the United States District Court. I will have my day in court, and I trust the process.'
Brown, who serves District 3 for the city, could not immediately be reached by USA TODAY. As of May 23, it was not immediately known whether Brown planned to resign from her city post.
USA TODAY also contacted the city of Charlotte, its mayor and Brown's attorney.
San Diego plane crash update: Who died? Who was injured? Everything we know so far
Indictment: Tiawana Brown falsely obtained over $124,000
According to an indictment, from April 2020 through September 2021, the defendants conspired to execute a scheme to defraud the Small Business Administration's Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program and its Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), as well as obtain COVID relief funds for their alleged businesses by submitting loan applications with false information or false documentation.
The fake documentation included "fraudulent tax forms, among other misrepresentation," the indictment alleges, and goes onto say the defendants submitted false statements to obtain forgiveness of the PPP loan.
In all, the three defendants reportedly submitted at least 15 applications for EIDL or PPP funds and "falsely obtained at least $124,165 in connection with their scheme to defraud," according to the release.
The indictment also alleges that the EIDL and PPP funds were deposited into bank accounts controlled by the defendants. Instead of using the pandemic relief funds to pay for qualifying expenses as purported in the loan applications, the defendants allegedly used the proceeds on personal expenses, including approximately $15,000 on a personal birthday party for Tiawana Brown.
Who is Tiawana Brown?
Brown won the general election to become a Charlotte councilmember in November 2023. Her current term ends in December.
According to the city's website, Brown grew up in Charlotte, graduated from Myers Park High School and lives in the city with her daughter, Tijema Brown. Her other daughter, Rouse, lives in Atlanta.
Brown attended Johnson C. Smith University and was a previous board member of the National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls, in addition to being a featured speaker on Capitol Hill in 2017.
What did Tiawana Brown previously go to prison for?
According to her Facebook bio, Brown is the first "formerly incarcerated person elected to Charlotte City Council" and "a fierce defender of truth."
Court records obtained by USA TODAY show Brown was indicted in July 1993 on fraud-related charges in the Western District of North Carolina.
According to the North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections, she served four years in prison in connection with the crime.
Online federal court records show Brown and her daughters were given $25,000 bonds on May 23. If convicted, Brown and her daughters face up to 20 years in prison for each offense, prosecutors said.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
How the Vatican manages money and where Pope Leo XIV might find more
VATICAN CITY (AP) — The world's smallest country has a big budget problem. The Vatican doesn't tax its residents or issue bonds. It primarily finances the Catholic Church's central government through donations that have been plunging, ticket sales for the Vatican Museums, as well as income from investments and an underperforming real estate portfolio. The last year the Holy See published a consolidated budget, in 2022, it projected 770 million euros ($878 million), with the bulk paying for embassies around the world and Vatican media operations. In recent years, it hasn't been able to cover costs. That leaves Pope Leo XIV facing challenges to drum up the funds needed to pull his city-state out of the red. Withering donations Anyone can donate money to the Vatican, but the regular sources come in two main forms. Canon law requires bishops around the world to pay an annual fee, with amounts varying and at bishops' discretion 'according to the resources of their dioceses.' U.S. bishops contributed over one-third of the $22 million (19.3 million euros) collected annually under the provision from 2021-2023, according to Vatican data. The other main source of annual donations is more well-known to ordinary Catholics: Peter's Pence, a special collection usually taken on the last Sunday of June. From 2021-2023, individual Catholics in the U.S. gave an average $27 million (23.7 million euros) to Peter's Pence, more than half the global total. American generosity hasn't prevented overall Peter's Pence contributions from cratering. After hitting a high of $101 million (88.6 million euros) in 2006, contributions hovered around $75 million (66.8 million euros) during the 2010's then tanked to $47 million (41.2 million euros) during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, when many churches were closed. Donations remained low in the following years, amid revelations of the Vatican's bungled investment in a London property, a former Harrod's warehouse that it hoped to develop into luxury apartments. The scandal and ensuing trial confirmed that the vast majority of Peter's Pence contributions had funded the Holy See's budgetary shortfalls, not papal charity initiatives as many parishioners had been led to believe. Peter's Pence donations rose slightly in 2023 and Vatican officials expect more growth going forward, in part because there has traditionally been a bump immediately after papal elections. New donors The Vatican bank and the city state's governorate, which controls the museums, also make annual contributions to the pope. As recently as a decade ago, the bank gave the pope around 55 million euros ($62.7 million) a year to help with the budget. But the amounts have dwindled; the bank gave nothing specifically to the pope in 2023, despite registering a net profit of 30 million euros ($34.2 million), according to its financial statements. The governorate's giving has likewise dropped off. Some Vatican officials ask how the Holy See can credibly ask donors to be more generous when its own institutions are holding back. Leo will need to attract donations from outside the U.S., no small task given the different culture of philanthropy, said the Rev. Robert Gahl, director of the Church Management Program at Catholic University of America's business school. He noted that in Europe there is much less of a tradition (and tax advantage) of individual philanthropy, with corporations and government entities doing most of the donating or allocating designated tax dollars. Even more important is leaving behind the 'mendicant mentality' of fundraising to address a particular problem, and instead encouraging Catholics to invest in the church as a project, he said. Speaking right after Leo's installation ceremony in St. Peter's Square, which drew around 200,000 people, Gahl asked: 'Don't you think there were a lot of people there that would have loved to contribute to that and to the pontificate?' In the U.S., donation baskets are passed around at every Sunday Mass. Not so at the Vatican. Untapped real estate The Vatican has 4,249 properties in Italy and 1,200 more in London, Paris, Geneva and Lausanne, Switzerland. Only about one-fifth are rented at fair market value, according to the annual report from the APSA patrimony office, which manages them. Some 70% generate no income because they house Vatican or other church offices; the remaining 10% are rented at reduced rents to Vatican employees. In 2023, these properties only generated 35 million euros ($39.9 million) in profit. Financial analysts have long identified such undervalued real estate as a source of potential revenue. But Ward Fitzgerald, the president of the U.S.-based Papal Foundation, which finances papal charities, said the Vatican should also be willing to sell properties, especially those too expensive to maintain. Many bishops are wrestling with similar downsizing questions as the number of church-going Catholics in parts of the U.S. and Europe shrinks and once-full churches stand empty. Toward that end, the Vatican recently sold the property housing its embassy in Tokyo's high-end Sanbancho neighborhood, near the Imperial Palace, to a developer building a 13-story apartment complex, according to the Kensetsu News trade journal. Yet there has long been institutional reluctance to part with even money-losing properties. Witness the Vatican announcement in 2021 that the cash-strapped Fatebenefratelli Catholic hospital in Rome, run by a religious order, would not be sold. Pope Francis simultaneously created a Vatican fundraising foundation to keep it and other Catholic hospitals afloat. 'They have to come to grips with the fact that they own so much real estate that is not serving the mission of the church,' said Fitzgerald, who built a career in real estate private equity. ___ AP reporter Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo contributed. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Maxwell Anderson verdict, push for task force on missing Black women
The Brief A jury found Maxwell Anderson guilty of killing and dismembering Sade Robinson. According to Columbia researchers, Black women in Wisconsin between 2019 and 2020 were 20x more likely to be murdered than white women. State Rep. Shelia Stubbs wants to create a task force to address that. MILWAUKEE - A jury found Maxwell Anderson guilty of killing and dismembering Sade Robinson on Friday. Robinson's mother now looks to lawmakers for help, wanting the state to set up a task force on missing and murdered Black women. By the numbers Columbia researchers found Black women in Wisconsin between 2019 and 2020 were 20x more likely to be murdered than white women. The researchers said that was the worst disparity in the country. FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android What they're saying For four years, Wisconsin Representative Shelia Stubbs urged the state to set up a special task force on missing and murdered Black women and girls. The group would be made up of police, survivors, attorneys, and victims' rights experts. It would look into what leads to violence against these people, and the task force would have to give recommendations on how to stop it. The Wisconsin State Assembly passed Stubbs' bill in 2024, but it stalled in the Senate. On Friday, Stubbs joined Sade Robinson's mother and family in court and then spoke with FOX6 News. "We need the state to pass this legislation. We couldn't save Sade, but we have a chance to save somebody else. And that's what I stand here today. With this verdict, I stand here with the family. And it's the right verdict," said Rep. Stubbs. Stubbs said the guilty verdict motivates her to rally her fellow lawmakers to make her bill a law. It's had bipartisan support. The governor has supported it, too. His budget proposal even included money for this proposed task force. Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley "My thoughts are with the family, the friends, and the community of Sade Robinson who are deserving of our continued support. Regardless of today's verdict, real justice is living in a world where Sade Robinson is still alive and her killer never had the chance to take her life. As a husband and father, I can't imagine the pain, anger, and grief that Sade's loved ones are carrying. It's my hope that the Robinson family can rest tonight knowing that Sade's killer will be held accountable. Looking ahead, we all must recommit ourselves to protecting the lives of innocent women – particularly Black and Brown women – and working towards a community where everyone is safe from violence." The backstory Anderson is charged with first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse, hiding a corpse and arson of property other than a building. He is accused of killing Robinson after a date, dismembering her and dumping her body parts across Milwaukee County. One of her arms was later found on an Illinois beach. SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News Prosecutors said Anderson and Robinson showed up at a Menomonee Valley bar on April 1, 2024 – the night she was last seen or heard from. The next day, Robinson's burned-out car was found near 30th and Lisbon in Milwaukee. Surveillance photos show a man investigators believe is Anderson walking away from the area, and who was later seen on a bus heading back towards his home on the city's south side. Anderson had planned to kill Robinson weeks before her death, according to a statement from a "confidential informant" noted in court filings FOX6 News obtained. A search warrant also revealed prosecutors believe Anderson tried to cover up Robinson's death with a text message. Dig deeper FOX6 News is streaming the entire Anderson trial each day on FOX LOCAL. The app is free to download on your phone, tablet or smart TV. Day 9: Jury finds Anderson guilty of killing, dismembering Robinson Day 8: Closing arguments made, jury deliberations begin Day 7: Sade Robinson killed; mapping path of Robinson's car Day 6: Jurors get look inside Anderson's home; see clothing Day 5: Testimony provided our first look at Anderson's arrest Open Record: Maxwell Anderson trial Day 4: Video from Milwaukee, discovery of Sade Robinson's remains Day 3: Testimony resumes; law enforcement, friends of Sade Robinson take stand Day 2: Opening statements, testimony begins Day 1: Jury selected in single day Sade Robinson homicide: Timeline of events leading to criminal charges Sade Robinson homicide: Parents navigate grief ahead of trial Sade Robinson homicide: The psychology behind the murder Sade Robinson homicide: Lasting legacy, from tragedy to advocacy Open Record: A Date With Death The Source FOX6 News was in court for the Anderson trial. Information in this report is from the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office, Wisconsin Circuit Court, and prior FOX6 coverage of the case.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump takes aim at Musk's government contracts but says ex-pal can keep White House key
WASHINGTON — Their breakup was full of insults and acrimony, but President Donald Trump says Elon Musk can keep his golden key. "I don't take things back, I gave him a key, he tried very hard," Trump said of his former DOGE head. The golden key, etched with the White House insignia, is not a real key but symbolizes respect and honor from the president. Trump and Musk had a public falling out this week after the billionaire, who worked part-time for the federal government until last month, waged a war on the president's tax bill over it's projected $2.5 trillion price tag. The fight spiraled as the pair traded attacks, and the two men stopped speaking. Trump told reporters on June 6 that he was not interested in reconciling with Musk. Elon Musk hits back after Trump threatens contracts. SpaceX's government ties, explained In social media posts on June 5, the president said he asked Musk to leave his post spearheading the DOGE initiative and threatened to cancel billions of dollars of the SpaceX founder's federal contracts. Trump said the following day that he was serious about ending the government contracts —and would do so if he thought it was in the financial interest of the country. 'We'll take look at everything. I look at everything. He's got a lot of money. He gets a lot of subsidy," Trump told reporters on June 6. "Only if it's to be fair for him and for the country, I would certainly think about it." Musk responded by saying he would decommission SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft immediately. He said in another post that without his help, Republicans would have lost the House and Senate and Trump would not currently be the president. A Washington Post analysis found that Musk's companies have received at least $38 billion in government contracts, loans, subsidies and tax credits over the years. SpaceX has about $22 billion in government contracts alone, Reuters reported. While the country might be twittering about his breakup with Musk, the president said on June 6 that his focus was squarely on a cache of complex international issues. 'Honestly, I've been so busy working on China, working on Russia, working on Iran ... I'm not thinking about Elon Musk," Trump told reporters riding with him on Air Force One to his New Jersey golf club. He also claimed he had not thought about whether or not he would keep his new Tesla. SpaceX works closely with the Department of Defense and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. But the president told reporters the federal government can survive without its partnerships with Musk's companies. 'The U.S. can survive without almost anybody," Trump said. "Except me." Contributing: Joey Garrison of USA TODAY. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump says ex-pal Elon Musk can keep his golden White House key
